MSQ’s Commonwealth Star Quilt
This month, we’ve been sharing lots of fun photos of the process of making our Commonwealth Star sample over on our Instagram feed. In this post, we’re going to dig into all the details of our sample quilt!
Lindlee’s featured quilt (paper pattern or PDF pattern) includes five sizes from wall hanging to queen, giving you lots of options depending on your recipient and courage level with a little more complicated pattern. For our version, we strayed from our usual throw size to make a wall hanging, which is perfect for adding to a military wall display or for gifting to a spouse or sibling of a vet or simply anyone who doesn't want a full-size quilt. Lilo, who made this month’s sample, noticed that, at her step-grandmother's retirement home, the residents all have hangers on their doors to display things. This wall hanging would be perfect for a vet in a similar situation.
With the itty bitty pieces in the quilt top, solids were the obvious choice, as prints would be “lost” in the design at best and distracting at worst. Lilo chose Moda Bella solids in Etchings Stone, Strawberry, and Cherry and a Riley Blake Confetti Cotton in Riley Navy. The navy also made an appearance in the binding.
Lilo quilted our sample using a simple, dense crosshatch design. The quilt piecing is really the star with this quilt, which means sometimes going simple with the quilting is the best way to let the design shine. The density also creates the most amazing texture, perfect for a wall hanging.
The backing is one of our favorite flannels, Robert Kaufman Organic Mammoth Flannel in Americana. While no one’s going to be snuggling up with this wall hanging, the multicolor plaid design of flannels makes them a great option for bringing all the colors from the quilt top together on the back.
For the binding, Lilo used the same Riley Blake Confetti Cotton in Riley Navy to continue the flow from the background without interruption, again ensuring the quilt design remains the focus. But it’s always fun to add a little something to the binding, and a small pop of red and white is just the ticket.
If you’re inspired to make your own version, head on over to Lindlee’s shop to purchase your own copy of the Commonwealth Star pattern (paper pattern or PDF pattern) by May 31. And don’t forget Lindlee is donating 100% of the proceeds from the pattern through the end of the month to Warriors and Quiet Waters, so pick up a copy of the pattern now to stretch your impact for some very worthy veterans. You can check out this post for lots more about Lindlee’s collaboration with MSQ. Happy quilting!
Photos of the finished MSQ quilt were taken by Angela Armstrong. Progress photos taken by Lilo.